It's personal

Here's a good reason for kids to live healthy lifestyles, from the Clinton Public School District:

The Clinton school district's push to promote a healthy lifestyle for its students and employees is personal for district Superintendent Phil Burchfield.

"I am a diabetic," he said.

"Every morning I have to prick my finger. Every morning for 35 minutes, I'm on an elliptical machine to increase my heart rate.

"I eat two pieces of toasted wheat bread, with no butter and an egg substitute. ... I'm not doing these things because I want to."

If he didn't watch his diet and exercise habits, Burchfield said, he could eventually lose his vision, face kidney problems or, at worst, face amputation of one or both of his legs.

He has built a habit of tending to his health - something that the district hopes to instill in the school community, step by step.

Some of those steps include giving parents guidelines on what constitutes a healthy snack, not rewarding children with food, holding early-morning dance sessions with students to "get the wiggles out" before class, keeping PE equipment up to date and interesting, and not serving fried food in the cafeteria.

"Some of these are things the state requires or requests that we do," Burchfield said. "But for me, this is personal.

"We have a higher incidence of childhood obesity than ever before, and even moreso in Mississippi. I'm here to tell you, no child should have to go through the daily routines that diabetics have to go through."

The district has partnered with parent groups, physicians, nutrition and fitness experts and other community supporters to evaluate how the district's health and wellness programs measure up. There are community based health councils at each school, and also a council on the district level with representatives from each school's council as well as parents, teachers and district officials.

"In the news, you hear a lot of talk about the health of children today," said Regina Ducksworth, food services director and the district's health coordinator. "There are more health problems with children than ever, and most health problems are associated with poor diets and not getting enough exercise."

During a recent district health council meeting, Brittany Hammons, dietetic intern at the University of Southern Mississippi, shared ways that schools and parents can improve the diet and exercise habits of children. Hammons spent two weeks in the district in November as part of her research on childhood obesity.

"Children are not exercising more than they are eating," she said. "This is their entire environment we have to take into consideration."

In the Clinton district, healthy foods and beverages are available, menus are sent home and parents are given educational materials on positive food choices.

"We offer them options, and children choose the least-healthy options," she said.

Parent-teacher groups can also help get the message out to parents, by discouraging cupcakes and other high-fat, high-calorie foods at school parties and events, and by choosing fundraisers that are not food or candy-based.

"These issues are culturally driven," Burchfield said. "It's bigger than just us. It is going to take parents and the community as well. These are issues we have to start talking about."